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Boxcryptor is a security application mainly designed to encrypt files and folders from your cloud storage locations, such as Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive. However, it can also encrypt files or folders from your local, network or removable drives, such as pen drives, SD cards or external hard disks. It uses AES-256 and RSA encryption.

The program’s goal is to ensure protection in case hackers successfully infiltrate your computer or cloud accounts to get hold of your private files. It can be installed on Windows (desktop client, Store app, and Chrome extension), Mac OS X, Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Blackberry.

Boxcryptor can encrypt items from the following cloud storage services: Box, Cubby, iCloud, Cloud.me, DropBox, Google Drive, HiDrive, OneDrive personal and business, SafeSync, SpiderOak, Storegate, SugarSync, TeamDisk, MagentaCLOUD, and Web.de. In addition to securing files to make sure they cannot be opened with any applications, it can encrypt filenames too.

We’re breaking down Boxcryptor Unlimited Personal in the following guide to show you how it works. It’s actually pretty intuitive, similar to working with Google Drive or Dropbox. Scroll down to the end of this article to play our video guide as well as to find out more details about our giveaway promo.

Install the app and create an account

During installation, Boxcryptor asks for permission to install a driver, so make sure to allow it (click Install when prompted by User Account Control). Also, it may ask for permission to close some currently running programs, such as Windows Explorer, otherwise it will require a PC restart to finalize setup.

Afterward, it’s necessary to set up an account that you will use to access Boxcryptor on all your devices, which requires confirmation via email. Make sure to remember your password or write it down somewhere because it cannot be reset if you lose it.

Getting started

The application creates a virtual drive on your computer and automatically assigns a drive letter, which can be found in Windows Explorer and looks like a network drive. It also creates an icon in the systray that you can right-click to access options or left-click to open Boxcryptor in Windows Explorer.

To turn the network drive into a fixed one, right-click the tray icon, choose Settings, go to the Advanced tab, click Show more settings on the bottom, then tick the Mount as fixed drive box. You can also edit the Label of the Boxcryptor drive (click the pencil button next to this box, enter a new label and click Ok), along with the assigned Drive letter (click the pencil button next to this box, click the drop-down menu to select a new drive letter, and click Ok).

Manage locations

One of your storage devices is auto-detected by Boxcryptor and placed in its partition. Licensed users can add more locations. To do this, right-click the tray icon, click Settings, and go to the Locations tab. All installed cloud storage services are listed here (the ones that are supported by Boxcryptor).

To make them accessible in the Boxcryptor drive, just tick their boxes. To add network drives, removable drives or custom folders, click Add, browse for a location, and click Ok.

Encrypt and decrypt files

To encrypt something, select and right-click a file or folder from the Boxcryptor drive, select Boxcryptor in the context menu, then click Encrypt. You can also drag and drop the items in these locations and click Yes when prompted by the application to encrypt them, as well as save files directly here (for example, when saving a document you’ve been working on). When copying files, make sure to select one of the existing folders (nothing can be copied to the top-level, and no new folders can be created in the top-level).

How it works: encrypted files receive the .bc extension and cannot be opened with any applications. They are marked with a green icon in the Boxcryptor drive and can be opened from this location to read contents, but they cannot be launched from outside this partition. If you want to work with a file without going to the trouble of decrypting it, you can do this inside the Boxcryptor drive.

Encrypted folders receive the _encrypted suffix in their names (can be renamed). It will still be possible to open the encrypted folders, but not to open the containing files because all of them will be automatically encrypted (all inherit encryption from the parent folder, and all have the .bc extension).

For example, if you encrypt Google Drive files from your computer, the items cannot be accessed from another device with Google Drive installed (unless you set up Boxcryptor there too). To check this, right-click an encrypted file, select Boxcryptor, then click Show encrypted file in storage_drive (for example, Show encrypted file in Google Drive).

To decrypt something, select and right-click one or more encrypted files or folders from the storage devices, choose Boxcryptor, then click Decrypt, Yes in the popout window and Ok for confirmation. Otherwise, you can simply move the encrypted items to a location outside the Boxcryptor drive. Decrypted files receive the _decrypted suffix.

Manage permissions and encrypt filenames

Once encrypted, you can manage permissions for other users. To do this, right-click the encrypted file, select Boxcryptor, and click Manage permissions. In the popup window, click Add user and enter the email address of a friend you want to share the objects with. However, this only works if the other email address is associated with a Boxcryptor account.

To increase security, right-click an encrypted file, select Boxcryptor, then click Enable filename encryption and Ok in the popup window for confirmation. If you want to automatically encrypt all filenames, right-click the tray icon, go to the Advanced tab, and tick the Enablefilename encryption box. To see what the new filenames look like, right-click an encrypted file, select Boxcryptor, then click Show encrypted file in storage_drive (for example, Show encrypted file in Google Drive).

Other settings

Right-click the tray icon of Boxcryptor, select Settings, and go to the Advanced tab. Note that any changes you make here apply only to the local Boxcryptor account (they are not synced to other devices with this application installed). For example, you can set the tool to automatically run every time you start your computer (Start with Windows). To view more settings, click Show more settings from the bottom.

By default, files deleted from the Boxcryptor drive are permanently removed (for security purposes). If you want to send them to Recycle Bin instead (regular file deletion), tick the Enable recycle bin box (this will auto-enable Mount as fixed drive, Mount for all users, and Mount in Windows Mount Manager).

To be able to encrypt file names with over 256 characters, tick the Enable long path support box. You can also Hide files and folders starting with a dot, Hide files/folders with names which cannot be decrypted, Hide OneDrive online file warning, as well as Auto detect removable drives and Auto detect network drives.

Differences between Boxcryptor editions

In the free edition, the Boxcryptor drive is limited to 5GB of storage space. You have access to only one cloud storage provider, and the free account can be used on only two devices. Using an Unlimited Personal account, you can encrypt file names, encrypt files from any number of cloud providers, and gain access to an unlimited number of devices.

The Unlimited Business account allows commercial use and gives you the possibility of creating groups when sharing encrypted files with other Boxcryptor users. There’s also a Company Package account option that supports a master key, password reset, policy enforcing, along with centralized management and invoicing.

Play our video guide below to see how this application works. You can also download Boxcryptor from Softpedia.

Boxcryptor Explained: Usage, Video and Download – GIVEAWAY

Enter our giveaway and write your own review for a chance to win a FREE license for a professional cloud encryption app: http://www.softpedia.com/blog/boxcryptor-cloud-encryption-explained-usage-video-and-download-505888.shtml

Softpedia Giveaway

We’re giving away 20 FREE 1-year subscriptions for Boxcryptor Unlimited Personal (at €36/$48 value). For a chance to win, write us your own review in the comment section below, and tell us what you like or dislike about this application by next Friday, July 8, 2016. Please note that off-topic and non-original comments will not be approved, and comments with no email address will not be taken into account. We’ll pick the 20 best reviews and send emails with the Boxcryptor license keys to the winners, as well as list their names on this page.